A problem faced in the operation of offshore oil wells is provision of suitable means for attaching a tanker or other floating vessel to a mooring point during the course of loading or unloading liquid products to or from the vessel. In order to prevent actual contact between the vessel and the mooring point, it is desired that the attachment between the two be made through a rigid yoke assembly or mooring arm such as that disclosed in copending U.S. patent application of Orndorff et al., Ser. No. 805,652, filed June 13, 1977. Such a rigid yoke assembly consists of two sections, one of which is attached to the bow of the vessel, and the other of which is attached to the mooring point.
The design of a suitable quick-disconnect locking means for interconnecting the sections of such a yoke structure is complicated by the large size of the structure, which is required to withstand axial and bending forces of great magnitude, as well as the fact that the floating vessel, being subject to the forces of the wind and waves, is usually in constant motion. Ideally, an interconnect system for such use should provide a rigid joint between the sections of the yoke, such that the structural integrity thereof is maintained; it should have a locking system able to withstand the forces tending to separate the sections; it should be readily disconnected when desired; and it should have a "fail-safe" feature which would prevent separation of the joint in the event of a power failure.